Overview
The Tangled Wing: Biological Constraints on the Human Spirit by Melvin Konner
First published to great acclaim twenty years ago, The Tangled Wing soon became required reading for anyone interested in the biological roots of human behavior and emotions. Since then, revolutions have taken place in genetics, molecular biology, and neuroscience. All of these innovations have been brought into account in this greatly expanded edition of a book originally called an "overwhelming achievement" by the Times Literary Supplement. A masterful synthesis of biology, psychology, anthropology, and philosophy, The Tangled Wing reveals human identity and activity to be an intricately woven fabric of innumerable factors. Throughout this new edition, Konner's sensitive and straightforward discussion ranges across topics such as the roots of aggression, the basis of attachment and desire, the differences between the sexes, and the foundations of mental illness. In the tradition of such cornerstone works as E. O. Wilson's Sociobiology, The Tangled Wing encompasses all we know about the forces that drive human behavior.
